4 ms·

> The people you rob (the ones paying the bulk of taxes) have a lower incentive to produce. And yet when the top tax rate was 96%, Americans still produced. W

> The people you rob (the ones paying the bulk of taxes) have a lower incentive to produce. And yet when the top tax rate was 96%, Americans still produced. When I was 12, I was impressed by Atlas Shrugged, but by the time I was 17 I realized it was ludicrous.

hker999 4y ago
Most wealthy Americans were never paying 96% in taxes, if any at all. There were many more loopholes during this time. People are forgetting that the high tax countries are enjoying the fruits of lower-tax countries labor. Technology and drugs are the big ones. Big, evil companies create life-saving drugs and generics are created and sold for pennies to these countries. With no incentive to create (ie: large profits), humans will definitely not advance. Money is also freedom. The less we are able to keep, the less free we become (and more dependent on the government/state).
- serverholic 4y ago
  [flagged]
  - yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
    If the likely financial outcome were the same between making music and writing software for banks or insurance companies, I sure as hell wouldn't go anywhere near a computer. Do you think people do Office Space style work out of the goodness of their own hearts? > That’s frankly ridiculous. The feeling is mutual.
    - serverholic 4y ago
      Uh, have you heard of open source software? The world is full of software that people built because it’s interesting and/or useful. Linux for example was created as a hobby project during college. People love to create. Just because YOU wouldn’t touch software doesn’t mean it’s true for everyone.
      - yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
        Yeah, I've heard of it. I contribute to it. I pay people to write it. I run my business on it. If you're so inclined to work on things for your own pleasure, please do give us a hand by solving some of these. https://github.com/bitemyapp/esqueleto/issues https://github.com/bitemyapp/esqueleto/issues
        serverholic 4y ago
        This response makes no sense. Why would I spend my time on your specific project? And I do contribute to open source, but I prefer to work on stuff that isn’t connected to some company.
        yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
        > Why would I spend my time on your specific project? That's exactly my point. I work in a field that is really very important, but it's not interesting enough for you to work on purely for your own amusement. That's why there needs to be a financial incentive.
        datpiff 4y ago
        > I work in a field that is really very important > "Esqueleto, a SQL DSL for Haskell"
        yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
        Esqueleto is an open-source library that my company's software uses. The code specific to the business is proprietary. Obviously.
        serverholic 4y ago
        Dude I don't know you, I don't know what you do. All you did is link a Haskell SQL library. Sorry I don't care about that particular project. You seem to be under the impression that unless people are coerced they'll only work on projects that entertain them in some way, like a child playing with bubbles. I feel sorry for you that you have such a poor opinion of humanity. Personally, I think humans are curious, collaborative, and like to build things. Yes they like to build things they find interesting but interesting is a wide concept. If my Mom got cancer then I'd probably be more likely to work on cancer software. I want to live in a world where people can voluntarily work together to build things based on shared interests, whatever those interests might be. A world where people aren't forced to submit to business owners like you.

hker999 4y ago

Most wealthy Americans were never paying 96% in taxes, if any at all. There were many more loopholes during this time. People are forgetting that the high tax countries are enjoying the fruits of lower-tax countries labor. Technology and drugs are the big ones. Big, evil companies create life-saving drugs and generics are created and sold for pennies to these countries. With no incentive to create (ie: large profits), humans will definitely not advance. Money is also freedom. The less we are able to keep, the less free we become (and more dependent on the government/state).

serverholic 4y ago
[flagged]
- yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
  If the likely financial outcome were the same between making music and writing software for banks or insurance companies, I sure as hell wouldn't go anywhere near a computer. Do you think people do Office Space style work out of the goodness of their own hearts? > That’s frankly ridiculous. The feeling is mutual.
  - serverholic 4y ago
    Uh, have you heard of open source software? The world is full of software that people built because it’s interesting and/or useful. Linux for example was created as a hobby project during college. People love to create. Just because YOU wouldn’t touch software doesn’t mean it’s true for everyone.
    - yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
      Yeah, I've heard of it. I contribute to it. I pay people to write it. I run my business on it. If you're so inclined to work on things for your own pleasure, please do give us a hand by solving some of these. https://github.com/bitemyapp/esqueleto/issues https://github.com/bitemyapp/esqueleto/issues
      - serverholic 4y ago
        This response makes no sense. Why would I spend my time on your specific project? And I do contribute to open source, but I prefer to work on stuff that isn’t connected to some company.
        yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
        > Why would I spend my time on your specific project? That's exactly my point. I work in a field that is really very important, but it's not interesting enough for you to work on purely for your own amusement. That's why there needs to be a financial incentive.
        datpiff 4y ago
        > I work in a field that is really very important > "Esqueleto, a SQL DSL for Haskell"
        yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
        Esqueleto is an open-source library that my company's software uses. The code specific to the business is proprietary. Obviously.
        serverholic 4y ago
        Dude I don't know you, I don't know what you do. All you did is link a Haskell SQL library. Sorry I don't care about that particular project. You seem to be under the impression that unless people are coerced they'll only work on projects that entertain them in some way, like a child playing with bubbles. I feel sorry for you that you have such a poor opinion of humanity. Personally, I think humans are curious, collaborative, and like to build things. Yes they like to build things they find interesting but interesting is a wide concept. If my Mom got cancer then I'd probably be more likely to work on cancer software. I want to live in a world where people can voluntarily work together to build things based on shared interests, whatever those interests might be. A world where people aren't forced to submit to business owners like you.